|
|
Faced with evidence of
a fish species in decline, the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission voted earlier this month
to impose tough new restrictions on the recreational and commercial harvest of red drum.
The commission, which sets fishing regulations, decided to limit recreational anglers to
one red drum a day between 18 and 27 inches in length. The previous limit had been five
bigger than 18 inches. Starting Oct. 22, however, it will be illegal to possess or sell
any red drum longer than 27 inches.
Commercial boats will be limited to a 100-pound daily limit for red drum, and the
commission also retained the 250,000-pound annual quota that it approved earlier in the
year. The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries believes commercial fishermen have already
caught about 200,000 pounds this year, and the daily trip limit went into effect Sept. 12.
In 1997, commercial landings of red drum were down to 52,500 pounds from 113,000 pounds in
1996 and 248,000 pounds in 1995, according to division records. Similarly, recreational
landings of the fish dropped to 38,000 pounds in 1997, from 195,500 pounds in 1996 and
382,400 pounds in 1995. Biologists blame the decline in the red drum population in part on
the harvest of ever younger fish.
Red drum, which is the state's saltwater fish, can live 40, 50 and even 60 years. Unlike
many fish that reproduce at an early age, red drum do not reach sexual maturity until they
are approximately 4-years-old and 27 to 30 inches in length. The new measures are
intended to protect the fish during that critical stage of their lives.
The commission felt it was important to get the rules in place as quickly as possi |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ble to protect a large, current year-class of mostly 14- to
15-inch red drum viewed as crucial to the future recovery of the stock.
In its most recent stock status report, the division noted there had been a dramatic
decline in the number of red drum reaching maturity and downgraded the species from
"stock-recovering" to "stressed-declining." A stock is considered to
be in trouble if there are not enough mature fish to continue producing young fish at a
consistent level.
The commission stopped short of following the recommendation of the N.C. chapter of the
Coastal Conservation Association (CCA), which had called for a temporary emergency
moratorium on
harvest of red drum. The 250,000-pound commercial quota that the commission had approved,
CCA said, wouldn't be enough to restore the declining stock.
CCA officials had urged recreational anglers to refrain from even fishing for drum, also
known as channel bass, in the summer because survival rates are lower for fish released in
warm water. The association's board of directors also has asked the Division of Marine
Fisheries to require that gill nets in inside waters be tended at all times so red drum
can be released. The commission made that change at its last meeting.
``It especially concerns us that so few spawning fish remain in the population,'' CCA
President Bill Brown told the Carteret County
Times-News. ``While a relatively few fish can produce a large spawn, we are not seeing
nearly enough young fish. Meanwhile, the stock suffers natural mortality and exceptionally
high fishing mortality. We are constantly taking from the stock without replenishing it.''
The association stopped short of calling on the state to declare red
drum a gamefish, a status that would prohibit commercial harvest permanently.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|